Indian cinema isn't knows for making thrillers. So when it does make one, it is a special treat for the viewers.
Kahani is a superlative thriller to be made in India in a long time.
Kahani plays well as s suspense drama, where Vidya comes from London to search for her husband, only to be told that no such person existed. From there, the movies starts playing as a cat and mouse game, as the IB gets in the mix, along with a crazy hitman, Bob Biswas.
To be true, the suspense of the film is actually a cheat. In the beginning of the film, as Vidya describes her husband, we are fed with a flashback which establish her story. Towards the climax, the viewer learns that he had been led all along, not by a clever story, but by a camera that lied. This may be a minor nitpick, but it matters a lot towards telling an honest story. There are some clues in between which hint that all might now be correct in her story, but those are so subtle of layered, we cannot be sure.
Vidya a Bidya Baghchi is a revelation. I was not impressed of her theatrics in Dirty Picture, but here, she gives a nuanced performance. She plays a woman who is undergoing tremendous pain but keeps a brave face about it all, and portrays it beautifully.
The biggest plus point of the movies, in my opinion, is that it does not rely on one single character to propel itself forward, as was in the case of Paan Singh Tomar. In here, there are lots of interesting characters, apart from Bidya. Theres the rookie Rana, the hot headed Khan, Bishnu the kid, and Bob Biswas the hitman. Bob is a scene stealer whenever he shows up. But the biggest 'character' here is Kolkatta the city itself. Director Sujoy Ghosh knows Kolkatta, and shows it to us like never before. The city comes alive under him, and as the story progresses, so does the city throw us fresh facets of itself. Kolkatta never looked so beautiful.
All in all, Kahani is a superb film, taut, well paced and well acted. The camera's visual lies could have been more muted or subtle. The story lends itself to rethinking once the movie ends, and the visual loophole is likely to come up. But if you are willing to overlook it, you may consider it an evening well spent
Kahani is a superlative thriller to be made in India in a long time.
Kahani plays well as s suspense drama, where Vidya comes from London to search for her husband, only to be told that no such person existed. From there, the movies starts playing as a cat and mouse game, as the IB gets in the mix, along with a crazy hitman, Bob Biswas.
To be true, the suspense of the film is actually a cheat. In the beginning of the film, as Vidya describes her husband, we are fed with a flashback which establish her story. Towards the climax, the viewer learns that he had been led all along, not by a clever story, but by a camera that lied. This may be a minor nitpick, but it matters a lot towards telling an honest story. There are some clues in between which hint that all might now be correct in her story, but those are so subtle of layered, we cannot be sure.
Vidya a Bidya Baghchi is a revelation. I was not impressed of her theatrics in Dirty Picture, but here, she gives a nuanced performance. She plays a woman who is undergoing tremendous pain but keeps a brave face about it all, and portrays it beautifully.
The biggest plus point of the movies, in my opinion, is that it does not rely on one single character to propel itself forward, as was in the case of Paan Singh Tomar. In here, there are lots of interesting characters, apart from Bidya. Theres the rookie Rana, the hot headed Khan, Bishnu the kid, and Bob Biswas the hitman. Bob is a scene stealer whenever he shows up. But the biggest 'character' here is Kolkatta the city itself. Director Sujoy Ghosh knows Kolkatta, and shows it to us like never before. The city comes alive under him, and as the story progresses, so does the city throw us fresh facets of itself. Kolkatta never looked so beautiful.
All in all, Kahani is a superb film, taut, well paced and well acted. The camera's visual lies could have been more muted or subtle. The story lends itself to rethinking once the movie ends, and the visual loophole is likely to come up. But if you are willing to overlook it, you may consider it an evening well spent
No comments:
Post a Comment